Show better at writing males?

[CastletonSnob 3,089]

Do you think that the show has gotten better at writing male characters this season? Sunburst is one of, if not the most well-written male character in the whole show, and Spike FINALLY got an episode that the majority can consider good.

[1Bit 1,531]

It's all about the change in the ideology of the show. In the recent seasons, the inclusion of elements which appeal more to a male demographic has been on the rise and with the announcement of cross-gender branding from Hasbro, it seems the show has taken to it strongly by including many more male characters playing active roles in the current season and frankly, its a breath of fresh air

 

So yeah, they've definitely gotten better because the male characters aren't chained to a certain stereotype or role anymore, and can be fleshed out to create a lot more intrigue and attachment

[cuteycindyhoney 13,339]

OMG! I hope nopny saw that! I posted in what I thought was the caption the avatar thread!

 

Anyway, Sunburst was a great character. I hope we see more of him.

Edited May 14, 2016 by cuteycindyhoney

[Kyoshi Frost Wolf 42,202]

Sunburst was a breathe of fresh air for me. A breathe of fresh Sun as it were. There was something special about him to me. He seemed like a male character that was sooooo incredibly quirky and not all stoic and perfect AND he wasn't there to woo over Starlight, same with Starlight wooing over him, didn't happen. At least, not to any major degree.

 

If there is any character to give me hope for better male characters in this show, it is Sunburst. Hell, and Spike, why not. Sadly we got Grubblegrabble or whatever the hell his name is again later on.

[Roughshod 721]

I guess I'm in the minority of people who wasn't that impressed by Sunburst or Spike's role in Gauntlet of Fire. I saw Sunburst as kind of clichéd and a waste of potential for presenting a solid male character. Instead we got a very underwhelming stallion who only makes a difference in the last 5 minutes thanks to the support of a female lead. If you reversed the genders a lot of people would probably be complaining about it.

 

As for Spike... A similar but slightly different approach was taken. In his case it was once again an effort by the writers to show the old 'girls can do anything boys can do' trope we've seen a thousand times over and doesn't really need proving on a show with overwhelmingly strong female leads that also manages to appeal to various demographics, male and female alike. The episode was good for Spike, but it's core message was fairly trite and did more for Ember than it did for him(besides giving him another OTP to check off his list).

 

I'd like to see a male character that's as confident and well rounded as somepony like Celestia or Cadance(not necessarily as powerful) while still being interesting with his own flaws. It would be nice to see a male character that isn't given some major weakness in order to keep the main cast looking strong in comparison. This is a recurring problem with characters like Shining Armor and Big Macintosh and it just reeks of insecurity and pandering.

[Wind Chaser 4,768]

I'd say it's far better than it was now than in previous seasons. There are occasional missteps, like how Spike was once again demoted to background gag in "Newbie Dash", but his writing overall has gotten better, especially with "The Crystalling" and "Gauntlet of Fire" being two of his best character moments on the entire show.

 

Male ancillary characters are no longer the high load of stereotypes they once were. Although a lot of one-off characters in general in Season 5 were stereotypes, that and the previous season provided enough good characters to balance out.

 

The only thing they should improve on is giving Shining Armor and Big Mac more play as full characters with major roles in episodes, rather than the gags or accessories they often are. When they do, I'd implore the writers to stay away from making any direct statements about gender. That's what ruined "Brotherhooves Social", otherwise a great character moment for Big Mac, for me.

I guess I'm in the minority of people who wasn't that impressed by Sunburst or Spike's role in Gauntlet of Fire. I saw Sunburst as kind of clichéd and a waste of potential for presenting a solid male character. Instead we got a very underwhelming stallion who only makes a difference in the last 5 minutes thanks to the support of a female lead. If you reversed the genders a lot of people would probably be complaining about it.

 

As for Spike... A similar but slightly different approach was taken. In his case it was once again an effort by the writers to show the old 'girls can do anything boys can do' trope we've seen a thousand times over and doesn't really need proving on a show with overwhelmingly strong female leads that also manages to appeal to various demographics, male and female alike. The episode was good for Spike, but it's core message was fairly trite and did more for Ember than it did for him(besides giving him another OTP to check off his list).

 

I'd like to see a male character that's as confident and well rounded as somepony like Celestia or Cadance(not necessarily as powerful) while still being interesting with his own flaws. It would be nice to see a male character that isn't given some major weakness in order to keep the main cast looking strong in comparison. This is a recurring problem with characters like Shining Armor and Big Macintosh and it just reeks of insecurity and pandering.

The case of Sunburst is one where we really have to disregard gender as far as his supporting cast goes and think of the type of character he is first. He was socially maladjusted but hiding a lot of talent. Back in Season 1, there was another character who went through a similar arc, and her name is Twilight. Of course he needed support, and I didn't really see how his support being female implied anything negative. In fact, Starlight was nearly as maladjusted as he was, and it was just two characters in similar situations coming together to help each other.

 

I could understand your sentiment towards Ember as well, but one thing I'm glad about: even if the cliches were there (girl in a man's world, "Princess" title), I don't really remember anyone in the episode actually making a statement suggesting that her gender or title made her less than the others. Many of the statements were directed more at her physical and mental assets. It still doesn't change how well-worn the plot thread is, but I do see that part of it differently.

 

To be honest, as much as I like the idea, I have to play pessimist and say that the kind if male character you want to see isn't likely to happen because the show already has enough trouble balancing six (or eight, or ten, or eleven) main characters and doesn't focus on its secondaries a whole lot. If the show was nearing its end anyway, this character wouldn't be around for long. I think its best that they just stick to fleshing out Big Mac and Shining Armor instead.